Monday News: B&N entertains a new purchase offer, Alice Hoffman talks about her favorite books, the Jenner sisters enter the YA market, and Amtrak creates the first writers residency on a train

Private Equity Firm Wants to Buy B&N for $22 a Share – It was reported on Friday that a small private investment firm floated an offer to acquire what amounts to 51% of their stock for approximately $22 a share (almost $700M total). G Asset Management apparently wants to separate Nook from the rest of the business. Although Nate Hoffelder updated his post with a report that the firm did not have the capital to actually do the deal, it’s not the first time they’ve offered:

If you’ve been following bookselling news for any length of time then G Asset Management is a name you might recognize; they made a similar offer in 2012. At that time they wanted a 51% interest in B&N College, the division that runs college bookstores. That deal fell through, with B&N instead choosing to form Nook Media by combining the Nook unit and B&N College, and selling a chunk to Microsoft and Pearson. –The Digital Reader

Alice Hoffman: By the Book – There are so many gems in this interview with Alice Hoffman. From her perspective on Wuthering Heights, to her defense of SF/F (does anyone really disparage these genres anymore, though?), to her recommendations for formative reading, this is an interesting piece. What especially caught my eye Hoffman’s description of herself as a “fantastical escapist writer:”

What kind of reader were you as a child? And what were your favorite childhood books?

I was a fanatical escapist reader, as I am now a fanatical escapist writer. I always had a book with me, no matter what, on the bus, in line for the movies. I still love to read the same books I loved as a child. Anything written by Edward Eager, especially “Half Magic”; the Borrowers series; “Mary Poppins.” Grimms’ fairy tales, so psychologically true a child reader intuits their deeper personal meaning. Those fairy tale themes are at the heart of many of my own books. –The New York Times

Kendall and Kylie Jenner’s Book Cover Revealed—Get the First Look at Rebels: City of Indra! – Yeah, yeah, I know; who cares that Kylie and Kendall Jenner are writing a Young Adult novel. What I think is interesting about this particular book, though, is that it’s being published by what seems to be a small publishing/branding house, Karen Hunter Publishing, which the website describes as belonging to the Suitt-Hunter Media Group, which “works with celebrities and emerging artists, identifying opportunities to expand the individual’s brand into ancillary markets.” Although the E! article indicated that Hunter was from Simon and Schuster, that does not seem to be the case, according to their website. In fact, the focus of the publisher/branding house seems to be on African American talent, and on projects “that are sometimes too “left of center” for major houses and their conservative approach to publishing.” As for the Jenner sisters’ book:

According to the publisher, the novel presents “a thrilling dystopian story about two super-powered girls, Lex and Livia, who embark on a journey together, not realizing their biggest danger might be each other.” –E! Online

Inside Amtrak’s (Absolutely Awesome) Plan to Give Free Rides to Writers – In what began as a Twitter-expressed wish by Jessica Gross, Amtrak created the first writer’s residency by train. Upon responding to Gross with an offer to let her do a “test run,” Amtrak recommended Gross rid the Lake shore Limited from New York City to Chicago and back to New York City, and all they asked for was some tweeting en route and an interview with the Amtrak blog once she finished her trip. Gross ultimately wrote about the adventure for an article in The Paris Review and Amtrak is currently pondering options for a more permanent program. As to who would qualify for a writer’s residency aboard an Amtrak train,

In other words, how will Amtrak decide who to send on its residencies? In the short term, as the program gets off the ground, candidates will be selected on a case-by-case basis. Quinn said that residents won’t “necessarily just [be] published authors, or people with multiple books under their belt, or [people that had] a publication tap them.” Amtrak, Quinn said, is open to people with a variety of writing backgrounds, because “the differences between a journalist, a published author, a blogger – those lines are continually blurred by the internet.” –The Wire

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isn't sure if she's an average Romance reader, or even an average reader, but a reader she is, enjoying everything from literary fiction to philosophy to history to poetry. Historical Romance was her first love within the genre, but she's fickle and easily seduced by the promise of a good read. She approaches every book with the same hope: that she will be filled from the inside out with something awesome that she didnÊ¼t know, didnÊ¼t think about, or didnÊ¼t feel until that moment. And she's always looking for the next mind-blowing read, so feel free to share any suggestions!

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